Getting to and from doctor's appointments can be a challenging and sometimes impossible task so Lyft and Hitch Health have partnered to help ease that burden by offering free non-emergency rides to those eligible.
Hitch Health identifies patients who are low-income, uninsured or vulnerable, and selects them as potential candidates for the free rides. With the new six-month trial, those eligible could be picked up and dropped off to appointments with Lyft drivers. Hitch Health has recognized that a large number of people in need of this service may not have access to smart phones, so the company will offer rides via text message, to eliminate the need for an app.
Image Credit: Lyft, Tero Vesalainen
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Non-emergency Medical Transportation
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation by developing technology solutions that cater specifically to low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable patients in need of free rides to medical appointments.
- Partnerships Between Rideshare Companies and Healthcare Organizations
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation by fostering collaborations between rideshare companies and healthcare organizations to improve accessibility and transportation for patients.
- Text Message-based Transportation Services
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation by creating text message-based transportation services that bridge the accessibility gap for individuals who do not have access to smartphones or mobile apps.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Healthcare
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation within the healthcare industry to address transportation challenges faced by low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable patients.
- Transportation
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation within the transportation industry by partnering with healthcare organizations to provide specialized transportation services for patients.
- Technology
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation within the technology industry by developing user-friendly text message-based transportation solutions that cater to individuals without smartphones.
